Barrow County schools recognized for exemplary use of technology

Jim Thompson

Sunday

Apr 29, 2012 at 10:21 PM

Barrow County's public school system has been named first in the nation among school districts with 12,000 students or more for its exemplary use of technology for communicating with students, parents and the community, improving school system operations and governing the school system.

Another area school system, Jefferson's city schools, earned ninth-place honors in the survey among the nation's smaller public school systems, classified as those systems with fewer than 3,000 students.

The Barrow school system won first place in the eight annual Digital School Districts Survey by the Center for Digital Education, the National School Boards Association and Convergemag.com, according to an announcement in the digital magazine, part of the media platform for the Center for Digital Education.

The center is a national research and advisory institute specializing in K-12 and higher education technology trends, policy and funding. It is a division of eRepublic, a national publishing, event and research company focused on smart media for public sector innovation.

According to the magazine's announcement of Barrow County's win, the annual survey of school districts nationwide "showcases exemplary school boards' and districts' use of technology ... ." The announcement goes on to note that the rankings "reflect those school boards/districts with the fullest implementation of technology benchmarks in the evolution of digital education ... ."

All public school districts in the United States are eligible to participate in the survey, with three classifications based on size of enrollment. Virginia's Henry County public school system earned top honors for digital savvy in school systems with enrollments between 3,000 and 12,000 students, and New York's Springville-Griffith Institute Central Schools claimed first place among the nation's smallest school districts.

A news release announcing this year's awards quotes LeiLani Cauthen, vice president of the Center for Digital Education, as saying, "New and emerging technologies challenge the process of teaching, learning and the way education is managed. Survey responses reflect innovation in action, and how boards and districts are adapting curriculum, communication and collaboration by embracing digital technologies."

In other comments included in the news release, NSBA Executive Director Anne L. Bryant said, "Districts across the country are increasingly using technology to support the work of their school boards, streamline district operations, and effectively engage their communities. This survey recognizes those district technology practices that can inspire others and demonstrates that innovative approaches can be embraced by any district, regardless of its size or location."

Other Georgia school systems recognized in this year's Digital School Districts survey were Fayette County, which placed second among large school districts, Savannah-Chatham County, which earned third place, Cherokee County, which claimed the sixth spot, and Gwinnett and Richmond counties, which tied in eighth place.

Three mid-sized Georgia public school systems also earned Digital School Districts Survey honors. The city of Marietta's public schools earned third-place recognition, Decatur's city schools placed sixth, and Bulloch County claimed eighth place honors.

In addition to the Jefferson school system's ninth-place ranking among small school districts, Georgia's Chickamauga city school system earned eighth-place honors, and Long County's school system shared ninth place with Jefferson.

According to the survey, 75 percent of responding districts maintain a presence on one or more social networking sites, and 72 percent have policies to address teacher/student interactions on social networking sites.

Also according to the survey, 65 percent of responding districts have a digital content curriculum strategy containing elements such as using e-textbooks, instructional games and simulations. For more on the survey, see www.convergemag.com/awards/digital-districts/2011-12-Digital-School-Districts-Winners.html.

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